Classic Rock Music News

Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks to Exit Allman Brothers Band

Guitarist and singer Warren Haynes and slide guitarist Derek Trucks are leaving the Allman Brothers Band. The two announced on Wednesday (Jan. 8) that this will be their last year as part of the band.

“For 25 years and 15 years respectively, we've had the honor and pleasure of playing, living, learning, and traveling with the Allman Brothers Band, one of the truly legendary rock and roll bands,” Haynes and Trucks said in a joint statement.

“We will be forever grateful for the opportunity and the experience, and for the love, enthusiasm, and support of the incredible fans,” they added. “We are both preparing to dig even deeper into our various creative and musical endeavors and, as a result, 2014 will be our final year as part of the band.”

In a separate statement, Haynes – who in 1989, at the age of 28, joined the group simply for a reunion tour – said he didn’t have any expectations of going forward with the Allman Brothers in the beginning, but “based on the success of the tour and the uncanny chemistry between the original members and the new members, we decided to continue and see where it all led. Now, here we are, 25 years later, and it has been an amazing experience.”

Trucks recalled getting the call to join the group while he was touring with his own band. He was 19 years old at the time. “It was out of the blue and felt surreal,” he said in a separate statement. “I leapt at the chance. This was the music that I had cut my teeth on and it was the distinctive sound of Duane (Allman's) guitar that inspired me to pick up the instrument in the first place.”

The Allman Brothers Band’s next show will take place Friday (Jan. 10) at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. For more on the band’s 2014 plans, go here.